RESERVE — St. Charles Catholic girls basketball coach Kim Nunez was happy and disappointed on Monday.

The first-year coach of the Lady Comets was happy because, for the first time since 2008, St. Charles has made the basketball playoffs, earning the No. 28 seed.

Nunez was just a little disappointed. Her team, which is 16-12, has to go all the way north of I-20 to play at 6 p.m. Thursday at No. 5 Rayville (26-3).

“I’m extremely excited about the opportunity,” Nunez said. “I’m excited for the girls that they get to experience it, especially our two seniors. And, I’m excited for the younger players that they will get some valuable experience playing in the playoffs. There are a lot of reasons to be excited.”

All four St. John the Baptist Parish schools made the Louisiana High School Athletic Association playoffs, including three from District 12-2A. That will have St. Charles (16-12), Riverside and West St. John competing for the same Class 2A title, perhaps for the last time if the LHSAA upholds its decision to split next year’s playoffs into separate brackets for public and private schools.

ESJH squeezed into the Class 5A bracket as the No. 29 seed. All four bi-district games will be played Thursday.

The three area Class 2A coaches were surprised when their projected opponents changed from Sunday to Monday. A late, unreported weekend game had a last-minute impact on the seeding reports, according to the LHSAA.

Nunez was anticipating a short trip to Madison Prep Academy in Baton Rouge, not a four-hour bus ride. Then again, last year’s team had 18 wins and didn’t get to go at all.

“They had virtually the same winning percentage last year and didn’t make it,” Nunez said. “We’re very happy.”

Like Nunez, Riverside Academy coach Kathy Luke was doing her homework Monday for a matchup with McGee. By the afternoon she was preparing for Archbishop Hannan. The Lady Rebels (14-12) are the No. 16 seed and will host No. 17 Hannan (16-13) at 6 p.m. Thursday.

“I had all my work done on McGee,” Luke said Monday afternoon. “I know nothing about Hannan. I just know they came out of a good district.”

Luke said her team’s seeding is about where she expected it would be — “smack dab in the middle,” she said. “The winner then gets to play the No. 1 seed. Maybe that’s a lucky draw.”

North Caddo is the No. 1 seed this year. It was the No. 7 seed last year and won the state championship. West St. John is the No. 7 seed this year.

“Maybe it’s the lucky spot,” said West St. John coach Lester Smith.

His Lady Rams (18-7) will take on No. 17 South Plaquemines (17-5) at 7 p.m. Thursday in Edgard.

Smith also was preparing for a different team.

“I had us playing Dunham, but when I called Dunham to set up a game, the coach said, ‘I don’t think we’re playing you,’” Smith said. “I’m happy with the seeding. I’m hoping we can get another home game in the second round.”

Last week East St. John coach Stasha Thomas-James wasn’t sure her team would be playing at all this week. Despite the squad’s 18-9 record and second place finish in District 7-5A, the Lady Wildcats were out of the top 32 teams eligible for the post-season. Those changed too.

East St. John made it in as the No. 29 seed and will travel at 6 p.m. Thursday to No. 4 Barbe (28-2). The Wildcats have made the playoffs five of the last six years.

“We wanted to be a little bit higher, of course,” Thomas-James said. “We’re just happy to get in there.”